The Moto G8 Power £219.99 from the Carphone Warehouse
Motorola has recently launched the Moto G8 Power and with the G8 lite coming later this month. We have been lucky enough to review the Moto G8 Power. On first impressions, the camera smashes it out of the park and the battery life is very impressive.
The Moto G8 Power costs £219 from Carphone Warehouse and comes in two colours blue or black and only comes in 64GB with an extra 512 GB via a MicroSD Card. Once you open the box you get the normal you expect USB-C charger, Sim card Pin and the warranty and user guide. However, Motorola has also sent us a protective case to keep this phone safe.
Moving on to the phone itself the G8 Power has a plastic back and metal frame. The device is also water-resistant (IP52 rated) meaning a little rain will be fine but do not drop this phone in the bath otherwise it will be doomed. In this review, we have the black version of the phone but you can also get it in blue. This device is also very light at only 197g.
What you will notice is this phone comes with something my iPhone X has lost yes the Moto G8 power has the headphone jack which will please those who prefer a cabled pair of headphones. You are also given the USB-C charge port which is growing to be the standard charge port.
The speakers in the G8 Power are pretty decent and quite loud when listing to some youtube videos and this is was due to their relatively wide soundstage. However, this would bot be suitable for a party and the inclusion of a Bluetooth speaker to improve your listening experience.
One of the key features of this phone is the battery life and after testing this phone you got 17 hours of use when the wifi was switched on and this is due to the 5,000 mAh battery capacity. However, It does take 2 hours to reach full charge and is not Qi-compatible meaning you won’t be able to use wireless charging which I thought was a slight disappointment. However, with a battery that lasts over 17 hours, I can live with the lack of wireless charging.
Another feature of this phone is the fingerprint sensor. Motorola has placed the sensor on the back of the phone and once set up this works very well and gives you a much-required security element on a mid-range handset. The Moto G8 Power also uses the Google Gboard as the default keyboard app which works just as well as it does on other devices. The screen is also a touchscreen and has no delays and the input is very accurate.
The display of the phone comes with a 6.4 inch IPS display that comes with a Full HD+ resolution for a typically bright display. When watching videos on this phone you will notice Motorola has positioned the front selfie camera in the top left corner meaning it does not take up much space when watching something on your phone.
The performance of this phone is run by a snapdragon 665 platform and it’s quite a smooth running phone and that is helped along by a 4GB memory. I have played a number of games on this phone while and had no issues on this phone. You can also use the Gametime tool to limit or block notifications which can sometimes drive us a little mad so that is a nice touch. Now the Moto G8 Power is run on the Android 10 and offers everything you can expect such as dark mode and gesture navigation. The moto experience app also adds a bunch of bonus gestures and helpful tools. Such as the one-handed mode which shrinks your desktop and apps towards the bottom edge of the display for easier use.
A negative to the phone which I can see a lot of people pulling away from buying this handset is the fact especially as we more than ever are a contactless payment society and this phone does not have NFC support meaning you can not make contactless payments. This is a very strange feature to skip and I would question why Motorola you have a decent phone and you skip NFC support? It’s available on cheaper smartphones so it really does not make sense to not add it.
Moving on to the main feature and what you could say is the star of the show is the camera. On the back of the phone, you will find quad lens camera set up that comprising of a 16MP primary shooter, 8MP ultra-wide lens, 8MP telephoto lens and finally a 2MP macro lens.
As you can see from the outdoor images I have taken on a recent walk to Hadleigh Castle in the lockdown we are currently having. You will notice the images taken are very bright and offer plenty of detail and offer a very good picture.
When taking pictures inside and unfortunately this camera does struggle with the lack of natural light resulting in a smeary looking image.
Moving to the front-facing selfie camera and that is a 16-megapixel camera and its good job as Motorola has its beautifying settings switched off by default. You can turn these settings up but I preferred them off. This 16MP selfie camera is ideal for the insta fans you just have to make sure your backlighting is good or the shots will be affected.
Recording video footage is a very strong feature the G8 Power uses a smart composition feature meaning it can straighten up and shot all by itself. You get 4k resolution with a decent audio pick up. Unfortunately, just stand still when filming as the Ultra HD is shocking when things are moving.
Overall, If your looking for a phone with a great battery you will not be disappointed with 17 hours of battery even with Wi-Fi switched on. The cameras are also very good and offer value for money. This phone is targeted for these with moderate demands like Whatsapp and watching videos. This phone is ideal due to the long battery Its also decent for storage with 64 GB storage. The Moto G8 Power can also give you more storage with the use of a 512 GB microSD card.
Personally what lets this phone down is the fact you do not get NFC support for contactless payment and at the time of writing this review, we are in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. Wireless payments have never been more important and this phone not supporting NFC is a big negative in my opinion. However, if you can look past that downfall this phone is a decent mid-range with a good camera and long-life battery being the key reasons you would buy this phone.
